It’s just like Waze for Dolphins

The third day of our great sailing odyssey aboard the mighty Essi began with a relaxed lie in and some slices of a cold, but tasty, pizza from the night. For the days sailing, some crew members were hoping for some moderate winds in order to do some ‘real sailing’ but unfortunately in was dead clam. However, that didn’t deter us from skimming through the waves, via help from the motor, and crusing along the coast of Novalja.

Toward late afternoon, despite the lack of wind, the sails were unfurled and the engine was turned off. This resulted in a lovely... well ‘sail’ is the wrong word, more like tidal floating in a random direction. Opportunities for swimming and floaties were enjoyed along with sun bathing and sun hiding as it was an absolute scorcher.

After a couple of hours of quietly drifting on the cool waters of the Adriatic, it was realised that a marina was in need for water and electricity so we chose a little marina on the island of Silba. Upon arrival we were ‘helped’ by one of the port officers with a mooring rope. The help we received was having delightful abuse hurled at us because of how we were docking. After a bit more playful banter, were we were described as “f***ing amateurs”, we bid a friendly good bye and promptly left. Next stop; Olib - just across the water - crossing our fingers that they would be a bit more hospitable.

And they were!! We even managed to score an awesome dock space normally used for the ginormous ferry. Once moored, a relaxing night ensued filled with ogling the very fancy ‘James bond’ super yacht and taking a wee stroll up around the harbour to one of the three restaurants on the island. Dinner was an interesting affair, especially for Alex who found that he had to debone an entire fish with varying degrees of success (if only he had that spoon!)

The glorious morning sun started off another brilliant day and, since we only had a few days left of our sailing adventure, we decided to head along the western coast of Cres back up to Mali Losinj. The sky turned to a grey haze toward the afternoon and the boat even passed through a light patch of rain. However, despite the slightly adverse weather conditions, spirits were still high due to the sighting of... dolphins!

After a beautifully effortless refuel and Mediterranean Mooring, the crew of the Essi eased into a perfect evening of chilling and a light spot of shopping for essential supplies courtesy of Shaunagh and Jamie. Once all were showered and ready for dinner, we headed down the road a whopping 30 meters to the marina restaurant and enjoyed an al fresco dinning experience with the stunning waterside view of Mali Losinj in the distance. With incredible table-side service, perfect atmosphere and the best company any one could ask for, night 5 of our Cruis-atia adventure will definitely be one to remember.

- Written by Scott